Mechanical musical instrument



(No Model J. WELLNER.

MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

No. 585,246. Patented June 29,1897.

tlllllmyg WITNESSES: INVENTOR ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT @EEEQE.

JULIUS IVELLNER, OF JERSEY CITY, NE\V JERSEY.

MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 585,246, dated June 29, 1897'.

Application filed December 19, 1896.

To all whom, it puny co/tcerlt:

Be it known that I, JULIUS IVELLNER, a cit i- Zen of the United States, and a resident of Jer sey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanical Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide simple and efficient means for damping or limiting the periods of vibration of the reeds or tongues of mechanical musical instruments and is shown carried out in, but is not limited to, that class of machines in which is employed metallic sheet -music provided with projections arranged in proper order relatively to a longitudinal series or gang of starwheels, so as to rotate the same step by step and cause their points or fingers to set up vibrations successivelyin the series of reeds or tongues corresponding in number to the nu mber of star-wheels or intermittently-rotating pronged or pointed actuators; and my improvements consist in certain details of construction and arrangement and combinations of devices, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents in side elevation and section so much of a mechanical musical instrument as is necessary to illustrate my improvements and which are shown embodied therein. Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the contrivance shown at Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the contrivance in operation. Fig. 1 is an enlarged vertical section through the star-wheel or actuator shown in the previous views to exhibit more fully its detail 0011- struction.

In the various views the same parts will be found designated by the same numerals and letters of reference.

1 1 are the usual metallic reeds or tongues projecting parallel from a solid back or body 2, which is screwed or otherwise attached to a support 3. Opposite each of said tongues or reeds is an actuator 4, generally designated as a star-wheel, and which is usually made of sheet metal stamped out to provide a perforated center 5, and a series of peripheral teeth or projections 6, sometimes radially Serial No. 616,272. (No model.)

formed, but generally arranged tangentially, as shown. These teeth or projections are ordinarily formed with inclined backs 7, rounded or beveled points 8, and straight edges or faces 9. Each of the star-wheels employed is arranged between a pair of lugs 10 10, projecting from a base-piece 11, the series of lugs or division-plates being formed by milling or slotting. The said lugs are perforated transverse] y in line, and after the star-wheels have been placed in position between said lugs a shaft or supporting-pin 12 is passed through the entire series of star-wheels and lugs.

13 designates a section or portion of the metallic music-sheet, and let a tooth or lug thereof. This sheet of music is connected to a spring-motor or is arranged so as to be driven by a hand-crank or other device and in a manner such that during its rotation the teeth or lugs 14: thereon, corresponding to the notes of the tune to be played, successively pass over the series of star-wheels and actuate them intermittently or move them step by step to cause them to vibrate the tongues or reeds which said star-wheels respectively control or are arranged to actuate.

Referring now particulz-trly to Figs. 1 to i, inclusive, where one form of my improved damping means is shown, a designates a ring, of felt, cloth, or other analogous material, which is applied to one side of the body of the star-wheel, and 1) represents a series of strips or fingers extending outwardly from the periphery of said ring and having substantially the form or shape of the teeth of the star-wheel. These damping strips or fingers b are preferably formed and applied in the following manner: The star-wheel is made from sheet metal, and when stamped or cut out all of the teeth thereof are formed or pro vided with wings or extensions such as shown at c at Figs. 1 and 4.. At Fig. 1 I have shown in dotted lines only one such wing or extension 0 in the position which itoccupies before the completion of the wheel and the application of the damping material thereto, the wings of the remaining teeth being shown as folded over and in their working condition.

The felt or damping material in ring or analogous shape is preferably laid upon one side of the star-wheel when the said wings or extensions are all spread out, as illustrated by the single wing in dotted line at Fig. 1, and then all of the said wings are folded inwardly and down, so as to clamp said ring or annulus between the two plies of the metal forming each of said teeth, as shown in sect-ional view, Fi g. 4t. Then by means of a suitable die the stock of the damping material is cut or stamped out between the series of teeth, but so as to leave remaining the portion I) at each tooth, and which portion, it will be seen, projects slightly beyond the plane of the back of the tooth, so that it may constitute a means at each tooth for arrest ing the vibrations of the tongue before the metallic tooth with which such portion 1) is associated can strike or come in contact with said tongue; but, of course, while I prefer this construction of star-wheel for strength and this mode of applying the damping material thereto for simplicity and effectiveness, the star-wheel may be otherwise made and the said damping material otherwise attached or arranged as far as the main principle of my invention is concerned. At Fig. 3 I have endeavored to illustrate the mode of operation of the contrivance. The star-wheel is turned in the direction of the arrow thereat by means of the teeth lion the music-sheet striking against the straight or working faces of the star-wheel teeth. I have shown in full lines one of the tongues or reeds as just about to leave one of the teeth of the star-wheel after having been flexed thereby, and when these two devices part company the reed of course commences its vibration to produce the desired note and flies back to the dottedline position shown at Fig. 8, at which time the damping-finger bof the next tooth below occupies the position shown in full lines. If said star-wheel be again turned part way by a succeeding tooth 14 and while the said tongue is in a state of vibration, said damping-finger b will first contact with the point of said tongue as shown by the dotted line at Fig. 3, and at once arrest the vibrations of said tongue and before its associated operating-tooth can again bend said tongue upwardly for renewed action. Of course after the said damping-finger has arrested the vibration of said tongue the continued movement of said star-wheel causes the end of the tongue to slide off said dam 'iing-finger onto the rounded end of the actuating-finger of the star-wheel, so that the latter may carry it to the point shown by the full lines and then release it for vibration.

.Vhile I have shown my improvements carried out in only one preferred form, it will be understood that various other modifications of my invention may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the principle thereof as embodied in the subjoined claims.

\Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a mechanical musicalinstrument, the combination with the vibrating tongue, and the step-by-step rotatory star-wheel or actuator, of a damping device arranged to travel with said star-wheel and comprising a series of fingers I) applied one to each tooth of the star-wheel or actuator so that its tip terminates back of the point of such tooth, and so that its damping edge projects slightly above the plane of the back or working side of such tooth; substantially as described.

2. In a mechanical musical instrument, the combination with the vibrating tongue, and the staravheel, of a damping device comprising a series of fingers formed from a disk of felt, cloth, or analogous material clamped at the side of the star-wheel, the damping edge of each finger projecting slightly above the back or working side of its associated tooth, and the tip of each finger terminating back of the point of said tooth; substantially as described.

In a mechanical musical instrument, the combination of the vibrating tongue and the star-wheel, of the annulus ahaving lingers Z), and means for clamping the fingers Z) parallel against the sides of the teeth of the starwheel, and so that the damping edges of the fingers-project above the sides of the teeth, and so that the points of the teeth project beyond the tips of the fingers; substantially as described.

at. In a mechanical musical instrun'ient, the combination with the vibrating tongue, of a sheet-1n etal star-wheel having a series of twoply actuating-teeth formed by folding said teeth; substantially as described.

5. In a mechanical musicalinstrument, the combination with the vibrating reed, of a combined star-wheel and damper, the teeth of the star-wheel having wings or extensions and the damper cosisting essentially of a series of fingers or projecting portions 7) secured to the staraheel by folding over said wings or extensions; substantially as shown and described.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 15th day of December, A. D. 1896.

JULIUS WELLNER.

Witnesses:

JAooB FELBEL, THEOD o1: FALK. 

